Improvement in looms



WILLIAM n. eIrrAnn, WILLIAM n. eliminan, JR., AND JAMES A. GIFFARD, or MILO, MAINE,

Letters Patent No. 113,288, daad April 4, 1871.

IMPROVEMENT IN LOOMS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making 'part of the same.

ToA all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM R. GIFFARD, WIL- 'LIAM It. GIFFARD, Jr., and JAMES A. GIFFARD, of

Milo, in the county of Piscataquis and State of Maine, have invented a new and useful Improvement iu Looms;.and We do hereby declare-that the following is a full, clear, and' exact description thereof which willY enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being hadv to the accompanyingdrawing forming part of this specification.

' This invention relates to improvements in' handlooms, and consists in certain novel arrangements of apparatus for setting the spring for acting the picker. staves by the action of the lathe, the same 'being accomplished during the backward movement, so that on the forward movement the whole power may be applied to thereed in heating up.

It also comprises improvements in the part of the frame which supports thecam-shaft and the yar-nbeam, calculated to facilitate packing for shipment.

-Fignre l is a front elevation of our improved loom.

Figure 2 is a tcp view of the same, partly in plane' and partly in horizontal section, on the line x :c or" g. 3.

Figure 3 is a sectional eievationtaken on the line y y of iig. 1,. i

Similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding i parts.

A represents the loom-frame;

B, thedriving-shaft;

G, thelathe;

D, the sword-arms;

E, the cloth-beam; and

F, the yamnbeam.

In order to economics space between the firent and rear of 'the loom we extend that part of the frame which supports the driviugshaft vertically so as to support it overI or nearly over the pivot-joints of the sword-arms, and we connect the crank or wrist-pius G of the balance-wheels H on the said driving-shaft with the lathe by means of the bars L K and the connecting-rods L, the bar K being jointed to the frame at M, and the two bars jointedtogether at N, where the rods L are jointed to them, and working in the manner of toggle-jointed bars. The rods L are connected at the other ends to the lathe. By this arrangement the frame may be -made narrower from front to, rear than when arranged in the common way.

For economizing space for storing and transporting these looms, we mount the cam-shaft O and the yarnbeam in supporting-bars P Q, pivoted to the main frame at R S, and jointed together at T, so arranged as to support the said shaft and beam outside oi' the I main frame when adj usted as represented in the drawing, and so that the bars, being uujointed at .'l, may be either detached from the frame at R S, or be folded up against the frame. i

For making these supports more steady, the b ars P are provided with extensions U, which rest on the floor and are detaehably connected to the said bars P.

The earn-shaft 0 is operated by the pawl W, pivoted to one ofthe sword-arms, and engaging with the pins X of a disk attached to the Vsaid shaft, all so arranged that the shaft is. turned a quarter of a revolution at each forward movement oi' the lathe.

The picker-staves a al are connected to the coiled spring in stretched betweenthem by cords or wires d, which are connected lto the longarms cof bell-cranks, pivoted atf to suitable supports; The short arms turn from the pivots toward the sword-aru1s of the lathe. Y

The long arms e have bent prongs h pointing toward the center of the frontof the lower frame.

@i represents springs arranged iu connection with the picker-staves to set them when relieved of the strain of the spring i).

They are held by the notched levers jf, and tripped bythe levers j striking against the stops k.

For setting one picker-staff' and straining the spring t fQr throwing the other, the short arm g oi' one of these bell-cran ks is caught at each alternate backward movement of the lathe by a drop-pawl, l, pivoted to the beam m, and falling between the sword-arm and the said short arm, so that the long arm is swung around in .the direction to set the spring and cause It lto pullnpon theA stal?, which is set while it frees the other, so that its spring i will set it. 'ilhis strain on the spring and the stati which is set, continues nnt1l near the end of the backward movement of the lay, when the staf` is released by the lever j and thrown Aforward by the Spring b, which is released from the strain causedby the' bell-cranks at the beginning of the forward movement of the lathe.

While one bellcrank is being moved in this way by its drop-pawl l, the other pawl l, for the other bellcrank, iskept out of action by a lever, p, pivoted'- at q, and actuated by tappets a* on the cam-shaft, the tappets being arranged to cause these levers to raise the drop-pawls alternately to correspond with the alternate action required for the bell-cranks,

The bent armsv h of the bell-cranks are caused to strike against the rods t at the time thestaves' are to be set by the springs i, to prevent anyresistance the spring b might make to the setting of the staves.

The cloth-beam is operated by afweighted lever, a2,

pawlaa, and ratchet a4, the pawl-arm4 being by a stud-pin on one of the. sword-arms moving under the inclined arms az.

Having thus described our invention,

We claim as new and desire tosecure 'by -Letters Patent- 1. The combinatin, with the spring b and the lathe,

of the bell-cranks and drop-pawls l l, when arranged for setting the spring while the lathe is moving backward, substantially as specified.

2. "lhe combination, with the drcp-pawls and the bell-cranks, of the levers `p and tappets r, the latter being on the camshaft,and arranged for operating vthe said levers alternately, substantially as specified.

' WILLIAM R. GIFFARD.

WILLIAM R. GI'FFARD, JB.

JAMES A. GIFFARD. Witnesses:

W. E. Gouw, W. H. OWEN. 

